Happy Tree Friends: Don't Cry Over Spilled Milk
by JV's Jack
Summary: Happy Tree Friends are known to look cute, attractive, and endearing.  They invite you to be their guest, to be your friend, and to make you feel at home.  Welcome to this fuzzy town, where you can eat sweets and find romance... and nothing can hurt you..
1. Hello! Welcome! 8D

The sun was nice and hot while the sweet breeze kept the temperature cool and balanced, and songbirds and butterflies fluttered in the perfect summer day. It was a fluffy, postcard perfect moment for the Happy Tree Friends to enjoy life to the fullest. And what better way to do that than to have a picnic at the beach?

The Mole had driven his ice cream truck over too, serving ice cream to the other beach-going critters. He pushed his shades closer to his eyes as he passed a couple of cones to the lovely Giggles the pink chipmunk and Petunia the car freshener-wearing blue skunk. They giggled giddily, paid for their treats, and hurried back to the others in the sand away from the sidewalk.

The playful rabbit, Cuddles, smirked mischievously as he tossed the volleyball into the air and then served it to the other side of the net. Toothy, an equally-playful, buck-toothed purple beaver waited anxiously and then smacked the ball back to the other side. Handy the hard-hat-wearing beaver was ready to slap the ball back. As the ball bounced back and forth, timid Flaky the red hedgehog sat at the side lines watching the group play with the observant Sniffles the blue anteater. It wasn't long until Giggles and Petunia came back with the ice cream cones and gave one to Flaky and Sniffles too. Giggles smiled and took in the beautiful scenery.

Handy leapt to spike the ball- and just before it hit the sand Toothy was there to bounce the ball back. The ball flew straight up into the air. He knew already that was a bad move, his only hope is for someone to spike the ball back.

Finally, this shot was _his_!

A yellow critter leapt into the air, already raising his arm for an epic spike. The ball was so close; it was just inches to his face. Now it was getting closer. And closer. And closer. Now it was only two inches away. One inch. _POW! THWOMP!_

The creature fell back and crashed into the sand. The salt and sand was flying everywhere! The friends gasped and rushed over to the little guy. He was on his back, motionless and his face was replaced by the ball! Toothy tried to pull the ball, but it was lodged into his face pretty good. While the others gathered, including the girls and Sniffles the blue anteater, Toothy motioned for them to stay back and braced himself for more effort. Toothy strained to pull the ball out- harder, harder…

_Poof! _

"You okay, Chewy?" asked Cuddles as he looked down on the yellow bush dog.

Chewy's face was concave now! The ball literally dented his face! He tried to reply but even his lips were shoved inward. All he could do was muffle and grumble.

"Hang in there," chuckled Cuddles. Then he motioned for Sniffles to help out, since he is the smartest of the bunch and the closest they have to a doctor.

Sniffles smiled, approached Chewy, got on his knees, sucked in air and was just about to blow into Chewy's mouth, despite Chewy's lips being closed up. Chewy's eyes literally popped out of their sockets when he saw the horror of the anteater's trunk-lips hovering close to his! No way!

"WAH!" Chewy's face popped back out without any need of CPR. "That's okay! That's okay!" Chewy flailed his arms in front of him for personal space, screaming panicked gibberish. The rest of the group laughed.

"Glad you're okay," smiled Giggles. "I would've done the CPR myself under the circumstances."

Chewy blushed and then hid his face in shame. His short, pointy ears and brown, stubby tail drooped. He mumbled sadly, "I missed the ball..."

"No kidding," Toothy cocked a brow. "That was just terrible, even Handy can spike the ball better than you!"

"Hey!" cried Handy in protest.

Toothy realized his comment offended the paw-less Handy and then chuckled nervously, "Oops…"

Handy grumbled and folded his arms in annoyance.

Flaky stood beside Chewy timidly, "Are you sure you're okay?"

Chewy looked back up at Flaky and nodded, "Uh, yeah, I'll be fine."

Petunia raised a brow and smirked. "C'mon, Flakes, don't baby the new kid," she half-scolded. "It's not like he was run over or something."

"My feelings exactly," Toothy smiled. "Now c'mon, no one's died so let's keep playing!"

"After _my_ serve," Cuddles smirked. He then motions for Toothy to pass the ball.

Chewy rose from the sand and rubbed his bruised face. _I wonder if I'm making any good impressions here_, he wondered, chuckling to himself. _Besides my face_…

Chewy returned back to his position and the game resumed. He promised himself he'll be playing better. While the group played, there was a small sailboat drifting by along the blue water away from shore. Inside the boat, there was Russell the pirate, seaworthy otter standing proudly on the deck and admiring the fine scenery. The seagulls were squawking all around him and sea breeze was rather calm. He listened to the waves lapping and splashing against the boat. It was a gorgeous afternoon! Soon he spotted the fellas in the distance with their game. He pulled out his spyglass to have a better look and chuckled delightedly at the event.

A seagull had perched itself at the top of the main sail. It pecked at its feathers for while until it spotted the shiny, white, glistening ropes wrapped around the beam. It began to peck at it, yanking it a bit. Russell's attention was at the volleyball game, he didn't even realize how much the stronger the sea breezes were becoming. The bird kept yanking at the pearly ropes. _Pop_! The rope snapped and the sail began to sway side to side. Russell turned around and was shocked to see the sail out of control!

He ducked, avoiding getting whacked by the support beam on the sail. He saw the ropes dangling and attempted to reach them to tie the sail back again. The sail kept swaying and Russell kept ducking. It was looking hopeless to reach the ropes. Suddenly a giant gust of wind blew the sail towards one direction. Russell panicked as the boat suddenly took off towards shore!

Toothy just spiked the ball towards the opposite side of the net, earning his team a point. Everyone cheered, it was an awesome game! Suddenly the group heard screaming. They looked towards the ocean and all were shocked to see Russell's boat heading towards their direction. Finally Russell got a hold of the ropes and attempted to close the sail. _Whack_! The sail swayed again and smacked the back of Russell's head. He fell unconscious, now the boat was completely out of control! It crashed against the sand, but it still wasn't slowing down! And it was headed right towards the volleyball court!

The Happy Tree Friends screamed and tried to run out of the way. The boat then crashed into the net and finally began to slow down, tearing the net out and digging into the sand. Giggles tripped and quickly turned around to see the boat approaching her. Her eyes could not shrink any smaller! She screamed her lungs out in pure, absolute fear. The boat began to slow down… and slower and slower…. And it stopped. Just _centimeters_ away from Giggles' nose! She blinked and could swear she was going to pass out from all the excitement. Cuddles rushed over to her side.

He looked at the white sail boat and put a paw on the front. It looked safe now. The other friends drew close and sighed breaths of relief. Cuddles was the first to chuckle.

"That was close," he smiled. "Everyone okay?"

The others nodded, chuckling nervously along with him. Flaky fanned air and fell back on the sand- she was so overwhelmed, it was too much for her. Soon Russell popped out and immediately began to apologize for the accident. Cuddles reassured that no one was hurt and that they had forgiven him. Eventually the nervous chuckles turned into excited laughter. They had to admit it was quite a good scare, and it instantly became the highlight of their day.

Chewy stopped to smile at the colorful group around him. Despite this scary episode, he felt he was going to like it here.

HTF

There was a new hollow tree house on the block. The owner was the new kid, Chewy the bush dog. He stepped outside to do some sightseeing around town. It was a bright day and he could use the fresh air. He was sore and stiff from all the unpacking he had to do all week, now he finally had some free time. He made his way around town and admired the neat and clean streets. He waved hello to some of his new neighbors; most of them looked like simple, happy folk. Well… happy sure, but simple…

Mime was on his unicycle and circled Chewy. Chewy waved and greeted him. Mime then blew into a balloon and morphed it into a bear. Chewy laughed and took the balloon, and then Mime took off. Chewy really liked this happy little town!

While Chewy reached a stretch of highway, he noticed the bus stop to town was at the other side. He shrugged and stepped forward. Whatever happened to looking both ways before crossing?

_HONK! HONK_!

Chewy looked to his right and was terrified to see a truck heading towards him! He flinched and yelped, but the truck had stopped just in time. It took Chewy a few seconds to open his eyes and relax when he realized he wasn't hit. He blinked and walked onto the sidewalk and peered to see who the driver of the vehicle was. The window rolled down.

A green bear in an army uniform scolded him from the driver's seat, "Don't you know it's dangerous to cross the highway like that?"

"Sorry," apologized Chewy, half smiling and shrugging nervously. "That's completely my fault!"

The bear drew a breath and shrugged, "Well, at least no one was hurt; I can forgive you just this once."

Chewy chuckled and kept smiling.

"Hm, you're new aren't you?" the driver asked. Chewy chuckled and nodded. "What's your name?"

"Uh, Chewy," he replied.

"I'm Flippy, nice to see you," the bear replied. Chewy waved politely. "Well, I'm headed over to town, care for a ride?"

"Really?" asked Chewy.

"Sure, c'mon," Flippy smiled and motioned for Chewy to hop in.

"Are you sure that's fine?" Chewy asked unsurely as he climbed in and slammed the car door shut.

Flippy nodded and started his truck again, heading towards town. It wasn't long until they reached town and Flippy pulled over to a sidewalk to let Chewy out. Chewy hopped out and thanked the driver for the ride. That's Chewy saw the ice cream parlor just down the block.

"Hey wait!" Chewy called before Flippy took off. "How about a drink? It's the least I can do about earlier."

"Oh, um… well, see-" stammered Flippy.

"C'mon," smiled Chewy. "Everyone's been so nice to me; I really don't wanna start any bad blood because of my recklessness."

With some more persistence, Flippy finally nodded and shut off his truck.

_Cha-ching_! The two walked inside the parlor and made their way to the front counter. It looked like a clean and cute parlor and Chewy began to drool at the colorful pictures on the menu of tasty, frozen treats. The Mole approached the two new customers and took their order. Chewy and Flippy had ice cream floats.

The two chatted as they drank, with Chewy explaining about his time here. Cuddles and Toothy had been coming over a lot to help with moving in. The three were becoming close, especially when they'd get a little sidetracked and play and joke around. There were also a few times the girls came over, as a matter of fact yesterday they brought comedy movies for the whole group to watch.

"What about Flaky?" asked Flippy.

Chewy nodded, "Uh huh, she came by too."

Chewy was making good company with them all and was enjoying their times together. He told Flippy how much he liked this new town. Flippy then began to talk about the other folks there. He said there were many nice people to meet, and that this place was the happiest town to live on Earth.

"You bet!" Chewy smiled. "I can already feel it growing on me!"

The two laughed and clanked their icy drinks in a delightful toast.

After a while longer, Flippy told him he had to leave. Chewy paid for his drink, Flippy tipped his hat to him, and then left the parlor. Chewy smiled and waved his paw cheerfully as his new friend went. Chewy then whirled back around in his seat to sip the last of his float. It was a tasty drink.

Suddenly someone hastily sat right beside him where Flippy sat.

"What did he say?"

"Wah!" shrieked Chewy. The sudden voice scared him for a minute.

Then he relaxed when he realized it was Flaky sitting there. "Oh… hi!" he waved a hello and smiled.

"What did he say!" she repeated, shaking Chewy from his shoulders furiously.

"Wah! Wah! Calm down!" panicked Chewy, putting his paws on Flaky's to make her stop. "What is it?"

"What did Flippy tell you?"

"Nothing! Nothing bad anyway! He was just telling me about the town and everything."

Then she pulled her paws away, "Did he say anything else?"

"Mm, mm. No."

"Are you sure?"

Chewy became curious, "Why? What's wrong?"

Flaky twiddled her fingers and seemed hesitant. That's when Chewy noticed several others looking at them. When he whirled around to confirm it wasn't just my imagination, they quickly turned away. That was certainly strange. Chewy raised a brow.

"Looks like people here really like eavesdropping," Chewy muttered to himself and frowned in annoyance. "How rude."

HTF

Chewy and Flaky were walking down the highway heading home. Their houses were in the same direction so it was no big deal. As they walked along, they chatted some more, but suddenly they fell awkwardly quiet. It was suddenly hard to keep the conversation going and both didn't really know what to say next. Chewy knew she was supposed to tell him something, but he didn't want to be rude to have her just tell him about it. Eventually, Flaky drew a deep breath.

"Okay, I'm going to tell you something," she finally spoke. "But you have to promise me you won't tell anyone else about this."

Chewy turned his eyes toward her, "Okay, I promise."

Flaky sighed once more, still feeling hesitant to go through with telling him, "Okay… so... Flippy's a war veteran… and he's settling down right around the far end of the block…" Flaky continued to explain about how he is now retired from serving his unit (wherever that might be) and has been trying to relax and start a simple life. He's a really nice guy and has a pure and kind soul. He wouldn't even hurt a fly, and everyone knows it.

"But, it hasn't been going so well lately," Flaky said sadly.

"Why not?" asked Chewy.

"Well..." she was twiddling her fingers again. Suddenly she whirled her head to Chewy. "Remember you promised not tell _anyone_ else, okay!" she practically demanded.

Chewy was surprised by her sudden exclamation, "Okay I promise, I promise! Just tell me already! Sheesh!"

Flaky withdrew herself and blushed in embarrassment, twiddling with her fingers again, "Okay, I'm…I'm sorry."

"So…" Chewy scratched his head, waiting for her answer. Then Flaky talked about how whenever Flippy sees something that really makes him upset, he would become disturbed by it and even develop nightmares about going on a killing spree on everyone around them. Flippy described to her that in his dreams he was literally flipping out.

Chewy raised a brow, "Flipping out?"

Flaky nodded and sunk her head low. Chewy could tell it was really hard for her to tell him about it.

"I've never talked about it with anyone else before…" she said. "We're close enough so we manage to talk about them. The nightmares have been scaring him and lately he's been having them a lot more than usual. He told me about them a few weeks back and we haven't gotten back in touch since."

"Why?" asked Chewy.

"Because…" Flaky continued. "There's been a lot of accidents happening and people are starting to question if it's actually someone behind it all. Flippy's been feeling edgy and a little paranoid, and says maybe people are blaming _him_ for the accidents. Someone's been claiming they've seen him stalking people and killing them."

"Really?" asked Chewy. "How come I've never heard of them yet?"

"No one likes to talk about them," she explains. "It's too scary to think about; even I don't like talking about them."

Chewy's eyes widened, a little alarmed by this information.

"But he wouldn't!" Flaky turned to him. "Everyone can't buy into that. They know he's so nice and innocent, and always does good without ever asking for anything in return!" Suddenly she began to blush, "No one has ever been so nice and caring like Flippy has with me. He's very understanding and patient with my… shyness. He's never bothered by it… like how it would usually bother others. He's… he's my very dear friend."

Chewy frowned and felt sorry for her then. She looked so determined to keep her faith in Flippy. Everything she was telling him _had _to be the truth!

"What about the nightmares?" asked Chewy. "Do people know about them?"

Flaky nodded, "It's the reason why people are so afraid of him suddenly." Suddenly she stopped walking. Chewy took a few more steps before stopping and faced her. After a brief moment she lifted her head and clenched her paws into fists. "But I have complete faith in him. He would never do anything to hurt anyone. And that's final."

Soon Chewy smiled, "Then there's nothing to worry about!"

Flaky's eyes widened, a little surprised by his sudden enthusiasm.

"Well yeah, I mean if you both know the truth, then you'll be okay. It'll only be a matter of time before people realize it's all just a huge misunderstanding. You guys should keep living life to the _fullest_ and ignore everyone else because you know the truth! And Flaky… you're a very good friend to defend Flippy like that. Deep down… Flippy must be really happy to have you as a friend."

Flaky's irises expanded and she blushed madly and began squealing, "No! You're just saying that!"

Chewy laughed at Flaky flailing like this. She actually looked a little cute right now.

"But," Chewy began to ask. "If everyone already knows about Flippy, why are you telling me to keep it a secret?"

"Because no one knows how close we actually are. He's been real careful about avoiding things that upset him, so he's been suggesting we keep our friendship a secret."

Chewy patted Flaky's head, assuring her with a warm smile that things will work out. "Just keep supporting Flippy and everything will be okay."

Flaky smiled and hugged Chewy. Chewy just smiled cheerfully, a little taken back by her action. "It's been a long time since anyone hasn't given him the cold shoulder that wasn't outside his circle of friends." She pulled away. "Flippy looked so happy today and what you've done was very kind. That's why I'm telling you all this, hoping you can understand him."

Chewy nodded and they let go, "Thanks, Flaky. That's a very nice thing to say too."

It was then Chewy realized they were already standing in front of his house. It was about late afternoon now and the world was turning light hues of blue and pink. The sunset just passed as it sunk behind the trees in the town's direction. A flock of crows squawked as they soared over his house towards the sunken sun. Flaky dashed away before stopping again to wave goodbye to Chewy.

"Please be nice to him!" she cried. "This doesn't change a thing about his image!"

Chewy flashed a wide smile and waved back. "I promise I'll be _compassionate_ to him!"

She smiled and then kept running down the street to get to her house. Chewy stopped waving and raised a brow. What a strange girl. She was always the shy and quiet one, this was probably the first time they actually had a real conversation with each other. He shrugged and then walked towards his front door.

It was a very interesting topic, and he kept wondering and admiring why someone as timid and cautious would hang around with someone as possibly unstable and unpredictable like Flippy. And curious yet, what were the accidents that Flaky talked about? But if she says Flippy didn't do it and it would scare off people to talk about it, he probably shouldn't think about it too much. They were just accidents right? People just need to be a little more cautious. And learn not to blame their mistakes on other people.


	2. The End! 8D

"Well, this should be the last box," Cuddles smiled and set the big box down in Chewy's bedroom. "Where should I put it?"

"Right there's fine," replied Chewy as he finished unpacking his box of video games and placing them in a small cabinet that held his T.V. on the top surface.

Cuddles took a deep breath, "Well buddy, after this you'll have officially moved in."

Chewy chuckled, "Well it's all thanks to you."

"Yup, what would you do without me?" smirked Cuddles.

The two laughed and suddenly they hear a knock on the door downstairs.

"It's open!" called Chewy, not worrying who it might be.

The boys kept unpacking as they heard the door open and girls' laughter. A minute later, they heard footsteps coming up the stairs. Cuddles set the computer monitor on the desk by the window.

"Hello!" sang Giggles.

"Check her out!" Petunia called soon after. "There was a sale on makeup at the mall!"

Cuddles was carrying the computer box and was just about to set it on Chewy's desk, huffing and growling at the weight of the machine! He finally looked to the door where the girls stood and his eyes literally popped. Giggles was looking lovelier than usual today! She wore purple eye shadow and mascara that made her lashes seem thicker and slickly longer than usual. She also wore rosy blush that completed her look and made her eyes twinkle with delight. She even wore a light scent of a feminine perfume that was designed to captivate a male's senses. She was gorgeous!

Cuddles set the computer down without even taking his eyes off her. He suddenly trembled, accidently causing the computer to fall out the open window!

"AAAAGGGHHH!"

Chewy heard the scream, turned his head to Cuddles' direction, and was shocked to find what Cuddles had done! His computer!

Chewy poked his head out the window and was shocked to find the machine crushing Toothy! Chewy's eyes popped out of his sockets at the blood everywhere too!

"TOOTHY!" he shrieked. "Hang on!"

Chewy quickly rushed out the door.

"Who was that?" asked Petunia worriedly.

"That was Toothy, c'mon!" explained Chewy in a hurry and he and Petunia rushed outside to help their friend.

The only ones in the room now were Cuddles and Giggles. The two kept a fixed stare on each other. Giggles liked the attention she was getting from Cuddles. It obvious the two were in love, or at least very much interested in each other. Time just seemed to stop for the two.

"Wow," Cuddles uttered. "You look…"

Giggles… giggled… delightedly. "Uh, huh?"

Cuddles stepped a little closer and blushed. He suddenly felt shaky and nervous.

"You look nice," he finally finished.

"Yeah?" Giggles giggled again.

Cuddles stepped closer until their faces were just inches away. Cuddles nodded and blushed even more. Giggles then began blushing herself; making the blushes she already had even rosier. She was so happy the makeup worked!

HTF

It turns out Toothy was severely injured from the hit, but that's just an understatement. Toothy was practically mummified with all the casts and bandages on as he lied in bed in the emergency room. Cuddles, Giggles, Petunia, and Chewy were there beside him in the tiny, white room looking sorry for him.

"Poor Toothy," Petunia murmured.

"Well, the nurse says to wait for the doctor," Chewy pointed out. "I'm sure he's fine."

Petunia sighed, she still felt bad for him.

Suddenly Toothy began to finally wake up and his friends brightened up.

"You scared us!" smiled Giggles.

"How are you feeling?" asked Cuddles.

Toothy tried moving his body, but then he realized both his arms and legs were in casts and he was wearing a neck brace! He sighed, "I guess I'm okay, what the heck happened?"

"Hello!" Suddenly the blue moose doctor came in. He looked at his clipboard and mumbled things to himself. "I'm Dr. Lumpy. I just came by to tell you all that… um… uh… hm…" He looked at his clipboard, it was clear he had forgotten what it was he had to say. Then his expression brightened, remembering what it was. "I hate to be bearer of bad news," his voice was suddenly very solemn. "But Toothy only has a month to live."

"WHAT?" everyone panicked.

"No, no, wait…" said Dr. Lumpy and flipped through papers on his clipboard. "Oh, no I'm sorry, wrong patient." Then he laughed and cleared his throat. "Toothy only has three weeks to live."

Everyone gasped horrifyingly with their heats skipping beats.

"Oh wait hold on… uh… what's the patient's name?"

"TOOTHY!" they all exclaimed.

The doctor flipped through more papers. "Oh yeah, here he is!" He laughs and points at his head. "Toothy will have to stay in the hospital for a while before he can leave. Other than that, his vitals are normal and he should be ohhh-kie-dokie!"

The Happy Tree Friends sighed breaths of relief, what a scare! _Creep_, thought Petunia. Even Chewy's face froze in shock by such unprofessionalism! Should they really trust this guy?

"Yup! Well, bye now!" waved the doctor and made his way out the room.

Toothy took another deep breath and sighed with relief. Cuddles moved closer to him, "Eh, you'll be fine." He patted Toothy's back, making Toothy wince in pain.

"Uh…yeah… you're right," Toothy smiled weakly.

They changed the conversation to Chewy and Toothy asked if he needed more help with unpacking.

"No," Chewy shook his head. "Cuddles and I just finished unpacking the last set of boxes."

Petunia was the first to cheer, "Congratulations! Now you're officially a Happy Tree Friend!"

Chewy smiled, "Thanks."

"Hey, in fact!" she exclaimed. "You should have a house-warming party! That would be so fun!"

Giggles seconded that nomination, "Yeah, you totally should! I can help to set it all up too!"

"Oh, well, I've never had one before, but I guess it's no big deal…" Chewy half-heartedly agreed. "As long as you give me a hand, Giggles."

"You leave all of that to me!" Giggles flashed a wide grin.

The first thing the friends decided was that it would be held the night Toothy comes out the hospital, about a good week from now. Everyone thought it was a great idea and thought they should invite as many people as they know. Cuddles announced that it had to be a big party to celebrate Chewy's arrival. Chewy chuckled and smiled kindly to Cuddles' words. He was so glad to find a great pal like him.

Suddenly Giggles eyes had a special sparkle in them and wore a sly smile, "A big party you say? Ha! You'll see this party's gonna be _the_ party of the century no one's gonna forget! I've got it all planned out!"

HTF

Almost immediately Giggles decided to work on plans for the party, but even though it was a house-warming party for Chewy, she was the one that seemed to take the planning task very seriously. _So_ seriously, Chewy never imagined how much work party planning actually was! Giggles was literally dragging the poor guy everywhere, zigzagging all over town! She told him they were only going to browse for a while to get an idea of what their party should be like. However, along the way she got sidetracked and started buying things, claiming that the sooner they buy it, the less they need to worry about getting it later. They ended up buying so many boxes and shopping bags- and Chewy had to be the one to carry it all! Yikes! Someone please save Chewy from this shopping nightmare! His eyes popped as the pile he had to carry seemed to grow bigger and taller by the block they walked. He even began to feel the pain in the pit of his pocket; he was the one that was paying for all of this too.

He was _relieved_ and praised whoever it was that made Giggles want to stop for ice cream. Now they were taking a break and having their ice cream at a summer table outside the ice cream parlor. However it only lasted for a minute because then Giggles began to ask a _lot_ of questions about what kind of party Chewy wanted. This girl can't give a guy a break! But he knew she only meant well and went along with it. She looked like she was enjoying herself a lot anyway, so why stop now?

Suddenly Giggles' face lit up and waved excitedly behind Chewy's direction, "Hi!"

Chewy turned around and was relieved to find Flaky walking down the street with a corn dog in her paw. Flaky waved back and asked permission to join them. Giggles and Chewy saw no problem and pulled an extra chair for her to sit. Giggles then explained to Flaky all about Chewy's house-warming.

"You should come too!" smiled Giggles, pulling out a pink agenda. "I'm making the guest list, so I'll add your name right here." She wrote Flaky's name down. "See? You're the first on the list! Now who else do we add?" Chewy smiled nervously and licked his vanilla ice cream. Giggles snapped her fingers in his face, "C'mon! Who else?"

"Ahh! Um…" Chewy began thinking. He named the group: Cuddles, her, Toothy, Petunia. Then Giggles suggested inviting Handy. "Good, now who else?" she asked again.

Chewy thought and shrugged, "Sniffles?"

"Okay, who next?"

"Um…" Then Chewy remembered. "I know! Flippy!"

Giggles looked up from her agenda and raised a questionable brow at Chewy. Flaky's eyes widened gasped silently. Chewy happily took a few licks off his desert and smiled, not realizing the awkwardness setting in yet.

"Are you sure?" asked Giggles. "How do you know him?"

"Oh," Chewy replied calmly. "I met him the other day and we had floats together."

Flaky took a quiet bite out of her corn dog. Giggles fell silent and tapped her pen against the book in thought. Chewy caught the gesture.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Giggles frowned, "It's just that he doesn't do well with parties."

"Really?" asked Chewy. "How come?"

Giggles folded her arms. "I don't know, he's such a party pooper. Last time Flaky tried to throw him a surprise party and he ended getting into an argument with someone and stormed out of there. It was a bad scene; he hurt a lot of feelings that day."

"Why would he do that?" asked Chewy. "Flippy seemed like a friendly guy when I met him." Suddenly he even began to remember what Flaky had told him the other day.

"We don't know," Giggles replied. "I'm not sure how it happened exactly, but I think it has something to do with his old war days. He has issues he can't deal with; it's a veteran's thing, I guess. Poor Flaky was just trying to be nice when she threw him that party, and he pretty much wrecked it. Huh, Flaky? Remember how it happened?"

Flaky frowned and shook her head, "No… I don't think I actually saw anything."

Chewy frowned, feeling sorry he brought it up. He didn't know she had tried to cheer Flippy up and backfired. He took more licks off his ice cream and then smiled.

"Maybe this time it'll be different," he said. The girls became surprised by his response. "Maybe Flippy was just grumpy that day. Whatever may be the case, he wasn't such a bad guy when I met him. Besides, since this isn't his party, maybe he'll be in a better mood this time without all that attention to him." Chewy then looked at Flaky and gave a thumb up. "I'm confident Flippy will appreciate the invite."

Flaky smiled brightly, hope filling her eyes. Giggles shrugged.

"I guess, it is your party," she sighed and wrote Flippy's name in it. "Well, I'm tired guys." She begins to pack up her things in her navy blue bag. "We've done a lot of walking today and I gotta hurry home to catch a good soap on T.V." She throws her bag over her shoulder and held up a peace sign. "Tomorrow we'll be doing lots more shopping and planning." She grinned brightly and winked. Chewy gulped and smiled nervously.

"I can't wait," he half-heartedly replied.

Giggles waved the two goodbye and made her way home. Chewy looked at Flaky.

"So," he asked her. "What do you think?"

"I think it's a wonderful idea," replied Flaky. "This could be just the thing he needs to step out of his bubble and loosen up. But um…" Flaky began scratching her head nervously. "I don't do so well in parties either…"

Chewy chuckled, "What're you talking about? It'll only be our friends at the party; it should be no big deal."

Flaky smiled cheerfully and took another bite of her corn dog. They two chatted for a little while longer before they decided to leave. But to Chewy's horror, Giggles had left him with all the party stuff!

HTF

The week flew by and Toothy was finally out of the hospital. Now it was time to set the house up for a party. Giggles took the reins on the whole set-up, and actually did a marvelous job making the house look sharp and fun. The food was lined up neatly on a long table just beside the door and the DJ, complete with huge stereos, was set up in the living room where there would be dancing. The house was decorated too, even with a huge banner in the living room saying: "_Welcome Chewy_!" Chewy, however, was a little unpleasantly surprised to find even more people than he expected showing up at the party. There were even people he hadn't really met, including some of the neighbors around the block. He approached Giggles and asked why she didn't let him know about the extra people.

"Cuddles said it has to be a big party," she replied cheerfully. "So that's what I did. Just look how perfect the party's turning out!" Chewy looked around and realized he couldn't disagree. "But uh, honestly some people said they weren't sure they were going to make it, but as it turned out, they did. So yeah, sorry about that, hehe…" Chewy groaned at the situation. "Oh c'mon, it's not all that bad. It just means this is the perfect opportunity to introduce yourself to the weird strangers. Okay?"

Chewy smiled weakly, nervously trying to laugh it off with Giggles, but as she left to tend the food he suddenly felt that maybe he wasn't going to do so well with this party.

"So much for a party with just friends," he muttered to himself and left to help himself to some punch at the long table.

Chewy shook hands with several people, including Nutty the too-hyper-for-his-own-good squirrel, Russell from the beach, Mime, the mute deer, and the familiar, blind Mole from the ice cream truck. They seemed nice people… and rather interesting. After chatting with them for a while, Chewy decided to take a seat and sip his drink. That was when he spotted a little bear cub walking towards him. He looked so young and cute and Chewy waved his paw cheerfully at him. The cub's father came along and introduced himself as Pop, the father bear, and his son Cub. Chewy couldn't have been happier to meet them. Pop lifted his son and carried him off to the table to have something to eat. Cub waved cheerfully at him, and Chewy couldn't help what a cute kid he was.

Meanwhile, Flaky sat at the corner of the living room, watching the people dancing at the center and having a great time. She sipped on her punch nervously and fidgeted. She really didn't talk with much people and was waiting for someone to approach her- especially Flippy. She scanned her eyes half the time for Flippy. She frowned a little as she fidgeted her leg anxiously. When she gave Flippy the invitation to the party, he looked really excited and said he would be there. She really hoped he would make it. It was a nice party and she was certain he would agree too.

She huffed and at this point wished there was someone to talk to while she waited.

"Hey!" Cuddles suddenly appeared and approached her. Flaky smiled timidly as he reached her. "Why aren't you dancing with the others?"

She smiled and turned her eyes to the floor. "I'm not so good at dancing."

Cuddles laughed, "C'mon, no one would even notice. Just get up and have fun!"

Flaky mumbled unsurely to herself. "C'mon!" smiled Cuddles and took her hand. The next thing Flaky knew Cuddles had taken her to the center of the crowd! She fidgeted with her legs for a while, not sure what she's supposed to do. Then she whirled around and watched Cuddles dancing to the music.

She wasn't sure how to start, but Cuddles told her to follow his lead. He shook side to side and Flaky imitated him. Her eyes darted around uneasily, afraid if someone was watching her and judging how badly she was dancing. She was a feeling a strain and felt her eyes were beginning to slightly sting. Then she looked at Cuddles and as she saw his pink cheeks tugging at his lips, she began to feel comfortable and continued to follow his moves with less tension. Eventually their bodies followed to the rhythm of the tune. Cuddles laughed cheerfully, praising Flaky that she was getting the hang of it. Flaky smiled widely, proud and happy to hear that coming from Cuddles. He was practically the whole town's friend, being the life of the party. To think someone like him was having fun with her made her feel special. She suddenly found herself having a great time!

The doorbell rang and Giggle opened the door. She smiled politely and greeted the guest, "Hey! Glad you could make it!"

"Sorry I'm late."

"Not a problem. C'mon in," assured Giggles and stepped aside. The familiar green bear walked in, then stopped to take in the warm and colorful atmosphere. Giggles tells him where the food and punch was. "Just have fun. Okay Flippy?"

Flippy turned back to her and nodded politely.

Giggles smiled her cheerful, trademark smile, "I'm really glad to see you again."

Flippy smiled a small, shy grin, "How kind of you."

Flippy nodded once more and left to grab some punch. Giggles watched him leave and was surprised to realize she meant what she told him.

It wasn't long until Flippy ran into Chewy again. Chewy saw him and waved his paw.

"You made it!" cheered Chewy. "I was starting to think you bailed."

"I wouldn't miss my new neighbor's house-warming," replied Flippy and then pulled out a wrapped present. Chewy's face lit up as he accepted the gift.

"Aw, c'mon, you didn't have to bring anything."

"Oh, it's just a little something I thought you should have," replied Flippy.

Chewy smiled, "You know, you're like the only one who even _thought_ of bringing a house-warming gift?"

The two laughed and suddenly Petunia appeared. "Sorry to interrupt, but Chewy, you wanna dance?"

Chewy chuckled, "Sure." Together they left to the center of the living room.

Flippy smiled broadly and followed them to the dance floor. The party sure looked fun. That's when he decided to find Flaky. He knew she would be here and he thought he'd feel a little better if he had her company. He walked along the walls to keep from the dance floor and scanned the seats for his friend. Soon, he found her.

Flaky was dancing with Cuddles. He smiled suddenly, glad that she was having fun, but then he began to feel a little bothered that she was having fun with someone else. He knew she was shy most of the time and didn't talk to much people, let alone dance with someone. Above all, she was dancing with Cuddles, the coolest guy in town. Flippy was feeling… just a bit bothered by the scene. Flaky certainly looked happy though. Really happy. She looked so full of life and the people around her were beginning to notice the dancing couple too and circled around them. Wow, Flaky felt like she was the most popular girl in the room all of a sudden! Cuddles twirled her and took her hand, leading the two to the happy beat of the song.

Flippy sighed and smiled weakly, making his way to the punch bowl. Now he really didn't have anyone to talk to at the party. He even spotted Chewy dancing with Petunia. He sighed again and reached the punch bowl and poured himself a cup. He was going to have to find another way to make friends with the people in the room. He took a seat and he couldn't help but keep his eyes on Flaky and Cuddles. She was _glowing_ as Cuddles held her close. His attention was so occupied at the moment. He didn't even notice Nutty running by with a shiny fork in one paw and a half-eaten plate of cake in the other, or Mime riding by on his unicycle juggling with colored balls. Flippy sighed and tried to smile at the party's fun atmosphere, wanting so much to put on a friendly attitude.

Suddenly someone elbowed his shoulder. It turned out to be Disco Bear, sitting right beside him. "Hey, haven't seen you around lately," Disco Bear smiled.

"Uh, yeah?" asked Flippy as politely as he could without letting his shyness get the better of him.

Disco Bear chuckled and then pointed towards Flaky and Cuddles. Flippy looked at them and turned his head back to Disco Bear. "What about them?"

"C'mon," Disco Bear gently elbowed him, fluttering his brows. "I can just _tell_ you wanna be with that chick."

Flippy's eyes widened in shock and shook his head, "R-really? H-how do you know? It's not like that at all."

Disco Bear laughed, "You know what you should do? You should man up and just go _march_ up to that girl and ask her to dance with you."

Flippy looked back and saw Flaky laughing as Cuddles twirled her like she was a ballerina. Flippy frowned his buck-teeth frown; he couldn't possibly take her away from that kind of happiness.

"No, man," Disco Bear shook his head. "See, chicks dig a guy with attitude, so if you want her, you should just take her." Flippy wasn't entirely convinced, but Disco Bear was persistant and kept nudging him to go get her.

Flippy kept refusing; suddenly feeling bothered by this bear. If he doesn't want to go with Flaky, he doesn't want to go! DB pulled away and shrugged. Then he spotted Giggles chatting with Handy and Toothy in a neck brace and wheelchair. DB fluttered his brows, tugged on his shirt collar, fluffed his bushy 'fro, and motioned for Flippy to watch him.

DB stood beside Giggles and told her a corny pick-up line to hit the dance floor. Giggles frowned, "Who invited this creep?"

DB used another pick up line to reel her in, but she wasn't interested. Then he began to show off his "mad" dance skills, doing the disco and then the worm. Flippy rolled his eyes and decided to focus his attention somewhere else, but he was a little curious how it would end. Giggles rolled her eyes and turned her back on DB, trying to return back to her conversation Handy and Toothy. DB popped back to her side and winked, taking a crack at another pick up line. Giggles told him to go away, but suddenly he got a little close and thrust his pelvic to air to her direction, smiling promiscuously at her. Flippy suddenly felt uncomfortable watching this guy. Not only was it pathetic, but it was clear that she was beginning to feel harassed. Then DB wrapped his arm around her shoulder and brought her close, crossing a personal line as he whispered something in her ear. What the -? She has _had_ it with this guy and threw her punch at him.

DB groaned and tried to wipe the punch off his shirt. "Why you gotta be so cold?"

Giggles snorted and she and her friends began to walk away. DB groaned at how bright red the stain looked on his shirt.

Flippy thought so too.

DB walked over to him, still trying to wipe the stain off. "Well that could've gone better," he muttered. "Do you think it's noticeable?"

Flippy began to twitch erratically; even his cup of punch began to quiver furiously in his cup. Flippy covered his eyes, trying his best to calm down. DB saw the sudden change of attitude in Flippy and tapped his shoulder.

"Yo, what's wrong?" asked DB.

Flippy shook furiously and panted heavily, half growling. DB was beginning to feel uneasy watching Flippy act this strangely. Suddenly DB shook his shoulders and tells Flippy to look up at him. Flippy's eyes began to shrink as he saw the bright red on his shirt. It looks a lot like… an awful lot like… like…

Flippy crushed the cup of punch in his hand which exploded in his grasp and sent the juice flying everywhere- including DB's face. DB pulled away rubbing his eyes and then looked at his outfit. He looked like a bloody mess! Suddenly his face shrank when he saw Flippy get up from his seat, looking very much sinister than he did just a few seconds ago.

Giggles was giggling and left her friends to get more punch. As she went, she suddenly tripped over something. She rubbed her forehead and got up. She was annoyed to find she spilled punch all over herself. Wait… she had no punch. That's when she noticed what it was she tripped over: DB's bloody corpse! (Well, to get technical, the red actually _was_ punch; he was killed due to a snap of his neck).

She didn't even scream as she put her paws over her mouth in complete and utter _shock_ and stepped back. Suddenly she felt a sharp and agonizing pain in her back. She never made a sound as she fell and went limp. Her killer smirked as she became lifeless in a pool of blood.

"AAAHHHHHHH!"

Petunia was screaming a piercing cry that cut through the air as she pointed a shaky finger. Everyone turned to her and then followed her direction and became utterly afraid and shocked at the sight. Giggles and DB were dead! And Flippy stood there with a bloody, plastic dinner knife.

Flippy cackled and pierced his evil, bright green eyes at the party-goers. Everyone panicked and frenzied to the exit. Flippy sneered, trying to pick a target. Mime got on his unicycle and tried to head for the door out, but Flippy leaped on him and snapped his neck. Mime instantly died and Flippy pulled his lifeless body out the unicycle and then began riding it around the room! Flippy picked up more dinner knives and tossed them all in every direction. The knives all stabbed their targets: Russell, Nutty, Pop, Cub, and Lumpy. Next, Flippy pulled out his bowie knife and just severed heads as he went by: Handy, Toothy, and Sniffles. Flippy laughed, _savoring_ his murderous moment as he rode over to one helpless victim who had tripped on the floor. Flippy towered over to him: Chewy.

Chewy got on his knees, trying to get up and make a run for it! Flippy's eyes were crazed and chased after him. Gosh, did heaven know Flippy _loved_ a good chase! Chewy's heart was racing and was about to climb the stairs when suddenly a _spoon_ shot through his head! Chewy fell to his knees, rolled his eyes, and fell over on the stairs. Flippy smirked evilly, laughing his guts off at the madness! He turned around and spotted Cuddles running to the front door, holding Flaky's paw, leading her out. Flippy's eyes narrowed and he rapidly pedaled towards them.

Cuddles and Flaky were running out on the lawn, running for dear life! The two huffed and panted, their hearts pounding so fast against their chest that they began to hurt. They ran to the park where all the trees and they looked desperately for help and sanctuary. They were at the heart of the park, knowing that a little further ahead was a bus stop that could take them to town. Cuddles tightened his grip on Flaky and together they kept moving forward.

_CHOMP_!

Cuddles screamed, terrifying Flaky so badly and watched in horror as Cuddles bled in a bear trap! He growled painfully as he tried to pull it open, but it was no use. Suddenly a dinner knife shot through his head from the front, and then another at his shoulder, and another at his heart! Then Cuddles fell over, bleeding and dead. Flaky screamed horrifically, putting her paws over her mouth and scanning the area around her. Tears began streaming down her face and her heart was racing so fast, she was at the verge of a heart attack! She was gasping loudly, shivering, her throat dry, why did it have to be this way?

Suddenly she felt someone was standing behind her, she turned around and found to her absolute terror, a terrifying silhouette of a bear on a unicycle. His green eyes pierced at her, as if his eyes alone could kill her. She screamed and was turned around to take off but then Flippy stabbed her in her shoulder. Flaky froze as pain and agony swept all over her body. She fell to her knees and slowly turned around to see her killer. Flippy was no longer on his unicycle and towered over her. He looked angry, he looked hateful. Flaky's vision blurred and she began to fall back.

Before she could hit the ground, Flippy grabbed the spikes on her head. He ignored the pain they were inflicting in his paws; he wasn't about to let Flaky die without him giving her what she had coming. Oh no, not in his lifetime! He raised his knife forward and stabbed her repeatedly.

_Chuk! Chuk! Chuk!_

Flaky's blood splattered everywhere! And she was still miraculously alive as she gazed up at her killer, with her terrified and hopeless eyes. He was snarling, glaring at her hatefully. He grunted at her, thanking her for inviting him to the party and finally sliced her neck. Flaky choked in her blood, and then died. Flippy released his grip on her and laughed maniacally. He did it, he killed them all! Oh God, how he loved the sweet taste of victory! He looked at the dead bodies, admiring his latest work. He fell silent with his head hung low.

Then he began making sobbing noises; his shoulders shook. Slowly, his sobs turned to chuckling, and then laughter. He threw his head back and laughed at the moon. And laughed and laughed and laughed… all through the night.

HTF

Back at Chewy's house, among the bloody wreckage, from under the DJ table out crawled the Mole, obviously shaken from the mayhem. He was looking frantically for his cane, but he couldn't find it. He patted the floor, hoping to find to find soon so he wouldn't have to hang around here anymore. Finally he found it and immediately after he gripped onto it, he took off.

_WHAM_!

He slammed into a wall and fell back. He was so terrified; he had forgotten to actually _use_ his cane. The slam suddenly made the room quiver. The giant stereo that stood behind the Mole began to shake. It shook so much that it suddenly began to tip over. Uh oh…

_SPLAT._


	3. For Only a While :D

The clouds had rolled over this morning. The sky wasn't completely gray, but it got cloudier than it usually had. The sun battled for dominance, trying to break through the gray but had only mildly succeeded. It was also a little breezy, but it wasn't bad weather to stop too many people from walking out. Including Flaky.

She sat in the park, sitting on a bench all alone, resting her chin on her paws while her elbows rested on her knees. She kept thinking about the party the other day. She was really upset about it; obviously it didn't turn out like how she wanted it at all.

"Hey," said a calm voice, breaking her thoughts.

Flaky raised her head, hoping the voice was Flippy- but it belonged to Cuddles.

"Oh… hi," she smiled weakly.

Cuddles approached closer, "Mind if I sit here with you?"

Flaky nodded and slid towards the end of the bench away from him to make room. They sat there quietly for a brief moment, watching the scenery before them. A distant dog was barking and the sounds of speeding cars can also be heard that seemed to echo from all around them. Cuddles turned his eyes to Flaky, but her attention was to the ground. And he had a safe assumption on what could be occupying her mind.

"So, uh," Cuddles began before he cleared his throat to continue. "I noticed you took off in the middle of the party… was it because of Flippy?"

Flaky kept her gaze at the cement and after a moment she replied, "I got sad." She sighed and sat back against the bench. "The party was supposed to be a special occasion for Flippy… not to make him upset. I planned the whole thing myself. I even took _extra_ special care that there would be no one or nothing that can upset him. I just still can't figure out what made Flippy turn upset and get into a fight… it was the worst party _ever_!"

Cuddles' ears drooped hearing and seeing the sadness in Flaky. _Darn that Flippy_! he thought. _Couldn't he see the pain Flaky was putting herself through for him? She had a big heart to do something so nice for him, and he just threw it aside_. Cuddles furrowed his brows and took Flaky's paw. She looked up at Cuddles as he got up from the bench.

"C'mon," he smiled. "I'm on my way back home to meet a new neighbor next door. Giggles, Toothy, and Petunia said they'll be there too."

Flaky turned away and pulled her paw back, fidgeting her leg a bit.

"But," she objected. "What if the others might say something about the disastrous party? What if they start judging me too because of it? What would they think or say?"

Cuddles smiled and pulled Flaky out of her seat. His warm smile reassured Flaky otherwise; after all they were all her friends too. It would all be okay. Flaky smiled timidly and let Cuddles lead the way.

HTF

Giggles and Petunia were just gossiping about the party as they walked down the block to Cuddles' house. The whole idea had been strange from the start. At first, the two didn't believe that Flaky was planning a party at all; she was always the shiest one, especially in parties, so it was a rather pleasant surprise to receive the invite from her. Stranger yet, Flaky actually wanted to throw a party for someone else: Flippy! It was truly sweet of her, but it was still something they never expected her to do. And then finally, Flippy's true nature was unveiled.

"He totally picked a fight with Toothy," Giggles went on. "And then when Cuddles tried to break up the fight, it got so out of control it took other people to stop him!"

"Yeah, I know," replied Petunia as her face grimaced. "It was just a really big mess in such little time. No one ever saw it coming." She paused before she added uneasily. "Maybe… those rumors about Flippy being a psycho are right?"

Giggles clutched on her paw and was silent before she lifted her head, "Look alive now, we're here!"

It wasn't long until the two reached Cuddles' front yard. Cuddles was already there too, along with Flaky and Toothy- and the new neighbor. The girls giggled, the new kid looked friendly and cute. He was a yellow bush dog with black paws and a short, brown, stubby tail. They couldn't wait to meet him too. The friends greeted each other, and Giggles and Petunia introduced themselves to the new guy. The bush dog smiled and nodded politely.

"I'm Chewy," he said, with some slight shyness in his voice.

"Nice to meet you," Giggles replied and extended a friendly handshake. "Welcome to our humble little town."

"Yeah, thanks," Chewy nodded as he shook her hand.

"We were just waiting for you girls so we can all step inside," Cuddles announced as he walked to his front door.

"Great," Giggles brightened up and took Chewy's paw. "C'mon now, you're welcomed to step inside too you know."

"Oh, sure," smiled Chewy and made his way to the door.

Suddenly Cuddles stopped Chewy by slamming his arm on the door post and stood in his way. Chewy looked frightened and stared questioningly. Cuddles frowned at Chewy and Giggles still holding his paw. Then instantly Cuddles laughed, "Nah, I'm kidding, c'mon in."

Giggles stamped her foot, "Cuddles!"

Cuddles' home was very cozy and gave the group the appropriate environment for a Happy Tree Friend welcome. The group sat down in the living room exchanging stories and gossip about people and their town. The hosts were all very kind to Chewy, and he seemed to be a really friendly guest too.

"Ugh! I'm _starving!_" Giggles suddenly groaned in the middle of their conversation. "I'm gonna go make sandwiches, anyone else want?"

"Great idea," exclaimed Petunia. "I'll help."

"I thought no one would ask!" added Toothy as he rubbed his belly.

It wasn't long the girls brought in a big plate piled high with sandwiches of different meats and condiments and smaller plates and napkins. Once these things were set on the coffee table, the girls rushed back to the kitchen and returned with a glass jug of ice lemonade. They served the sandwiches to everyone and then continued with their conversations. It seemed though, Petunia and Giggles were the only ones doing all the conversing; they hardly let the others have a say! Still, the gang had a pleasant time. Well, at least Flaky tried to.

Giggles noticed that Flaky was awfully quiet. Giggles assumed that it was just her being shy as usual, but she still seemed just a tad distant. Flaky wore her friendly smile, but she still looked off. Giggles simply shrugged kept her attention on the conversation.

Cuddles looked at Flaky and noticed the same thing. Poor Flaky, she had to get her mind out of it somehow. Cuddles put a paw on her shoulder, snapping Flaky out of her thoughts. She looked at Cuddles and smiled at him. Giggles saw it. Cuddles and Flaky were smiling at each other. _That's a little strange_, Giggles thought. _He never smiled at Flaky like that before_.

Well, the party did affect her, so he's being a good friend like he does for everyone else. _He is everyone's friend after all_, she reasoned with herself. Still, she couldn't help but feel bothered by it.

Around late afternoon, Toothy and Petunia decided to leave, both agreeing what a nice guy Chewy was.

"We should totally hang out again," smiled Petunia.

"Sure, anytime," smiled Chewy.

A little while after they left, Chewy decided it was best if he headed home too, he had _a lot_ of unpacking to do anyway. He bid them goodbye and a big thank you for their warm welcome and was gone. The house became calm after all the chatter and laughter. Cuddles gazed over the crumb-covered plates on his coffee table.

"Man, what slobs," Cuddles shook his head in disapproval and then bent over to pick up the plates.

Giggles spotted Cuddles and rushed over, "Here, let me help."

"But, aren't you leaving?" asked Cuddles.

"It's okay, I can stay to help."

Cuddles smiled and thanked her. Giggles began humming a little tune as she picked up the plates and entered Cuddles' kitchen to reach the sink. "Man, they really _are _slobs!" she exclaimed as she drew the water and laughed at her joke. When she received no reply she looked over her shoulder at Cuddles and Flaky talking to each other on the sofa in the next room. It was a casual conversation, Giggles heard them, but she kept her eyes on them… just out of curiosity. She pulled a plate and began scrubbing it with a sponge, perking her ear to their conversation while maintaining her calm and casual appearance. They didn't seem to notice her eavesdropping even though she had a clear view of them… or maybe they simply didn't care.

"Thanks Cuddles," Flaky suddenly said. "For trying to cheer me up."

"Well, that's what friends do," Cuddles replied.

Giggles quietly and slowly turned the faucet low to hear them clearer, despite their low tones. Giggles slowly pulled her head back to catch another glance at them. Cuddles was smiling brightly at her, and Flaky kept her sight to the floor.

"It's been bugging me so much," Flaky went on explaining. "It worried me when I tried calling Flippy earlier to check on him and he never answered."

"Just try to let it go," Cuddles told her. "The party was fun and maybe it's just Flippy having a rough time. He was just being a party pooper."

Flaky didn't answer him, she just kept quiet. Giggles watched Flaky scanning the floor and looking a little more upset than she had been earlier.

"I have to go home," Flaky suddenly said and got up from the sofa to leave.

Her gesture wasn't exactly friendly and Cuddles knew he said something wrong. "Wait, Flaky," Cuddles followed her outside the door.

Giggles was about to follow them, but then decided against it. Instead she peered out the kitchen window to outside and watched the two on Cuddles' lawn. Cuddles grabbed Flaky's shoulder and turned her to face him. She looked really discouraged and he was telling her something. They were talking, God if only Giggles could hear what they were saying! Giggles can feel her anxiety rising, just what was he telling her? Giggles didn't even notice her nose and cheeks were already touching the glass. _Why does Flaky have to be such a baby about everything_, Giggles thought, _she's too dang sensitive_!

Suddenly they were hugging.

Giggles' eyes widened. Cuddles was hugging Flaky? Why? What did she say? Giggles clenched her fists. How it did bother her so. Does this mean Cuddles has feelings for Flaky too?

Finally, the two stop and Flaky went home.

Giggles literally pulled her face off the glass and resumed washing dishes just before Cuddles came back and shut the door behind him. He came through the kitchen.

"Giggles?" he suddenly spoke.

Giggles turned to him, "Uh huh?"

"I'm a little worried about Flaky."

Giggles felt annoyed that he wanted to talk about her.

"Why?" she asked, trying not to sound jealous. "What did she tell you?"

"It's the party last weekend with Flippy. Flaky's taking it really hard… and honestly, I think there's something she's not telling me about."

Giggles shrugged. "You know how she is." She swatted her hand. "Just give her time to be on her own for a while. That's how she works after all, always on her own."

"I'm not sure," muttered Cuddles.

Suddenly Giggles saw how Cuddles was feeling sad too. She had to think of something quick before she loses him.

"By the way," she suddenly stammered. "Chewy seems nice."

"Uh, yeah he does, huh?" Cuddles answered with a weak smile.

Giggles nodded and suddenly she came up with an idea. "Why don't we all go to the beach sometime?"

Cuddles' face lightened up, "Yeah! That sounds like a great idea!"

The two looked cheery then. They began chattering on about how they were going to invite their friends and that they were all going to have a big picnic and everyone was going to have a great time! It was a perfect idea! Giggles suddenly felt great to have brought Cuddles back to life. His happy mood always made the world smile with giddiness and delight! _God he looks so cute_, she thought in that instant.

Giggles stepped out the door and turned around to face Cuddles.

"I had a great time today," she flashed a grin.

Cuddles smiled back and scratched his head, "You're always so sweet Giggles."

Cuddles began to blush and a second later she threw herself in his arms and hugged him tight. It was sudden and it slightly caught Cuddles off guard. She held him long and tight, already wishing to make this hug last a little longer.

"Just don't get hurt, okay?" was all Giggles could whisper in that moment.

Cuddles smiled and returned the hug, blushing from the sweetness… and from the fact that Giggles never hugged him like this before.

She pulled away and smiled at him. They were both blushing… but they both couldn't see it. Giggles turned around and exited his lawn. She waved at him as she walked down the block. Cuddles waved back and felt confident that things were going to work out eventually. Yup, the beach was sure looking like a promising sign of better days to come.

HTF

"AAAAHHHHHHHH!"

The sailboat was charging towards her, she could see her entire life flashing before her eyes! She even saw her hug with Cuddles the nights back. She was in a complete daze and shut her eyes, already giving in to death and bracing herself for impact.

Suddenly someone was shouting at her. She opened her eyes and realized the boat had completely stopped- just _centimeters_ away from her face. Boy, was that close!

Cuddles rushed over to her side and asked if she was okay. She nodded and he turned to the white sailboat. He approached it and noted that it was safe now. Giggles drew a heavy breath, finally realizing her heart was still beating fiercely against her chest. Cuddles chuckled nervously, trying to lighten up the mood after the scary attack.

Giggles grinned at Cuddles until eventually she began laughing. Cuddles followed her lead and laughed too. Soon everyone else was laughing.

The sun was setting and the gang had built a fire and making yummy, sticky s'mores. They were enjoying the view of the explosive orange and the shiny, golden waves against the graham cracker tan sand. The Happy Tree Friends were truly happy and each began wishing that this day would never end. Toothy finished his last s'more and then he got up from the sand, took the volleyball, and challenged everyone for another game as he licked the chocolate and marshmallow off his fingers. Handy, Chewy, and Sniffles nodded their heads and joined him to the volleyball court. The girls just decided to sit it out and enjoy the toasty fire and yummy s'mores. Cuddles poked a stick into the base of the fire, making sure all the wood is in place to burn.

That's when he noticed Flaky leaving her spot by the fire and suddenly heading towards the water. _She couldn't possibly be thinking of getting into the water at this time by herself, could she?_ Cuddles thought to himself. He then got up and made his way after her.

Flaky picked up a green, spiral conch shell and admired its shininess and bright colors it gave off as she held it up against the golden bronze sun. Soon she heard steps coming toward her in the sand and she turned around. Cuddles grinned widely as he caught up to her. Flaky returned the smile warmly, appreciated by his company- and apparently his concern.

"Why don't you come back to the fire?" Cuddles motioned for her, but Flaky shook her head.

"I just wanted to see the sun set first before I go back," she replied.

"You can still see the sun from the fire."

"No, I'll be fine here."

"After what happened earlier, I think I'd feel better if you stayed with the group."

Flaky averted her eyes and kept them on the sand instead. She didn't want to leave.

Cuddles rolled his eyes and sighed, finally letting her watch the sunset. At the same, he also stood by her.

"You don't have to stay," Flaky told him.

"No, it wouldn't be right if you were by yourself out here," he replied and turned his attention to the flaring sun.

Flaky meant to say something else, but she decided not to cause any problems; so she kept quiet and stared out into the tranquil scenery as well.

Giggles and Petunia were just laughing at a funny move Chewy made when suddenly the wind blew the campfire to the left, revealing Giggles a straight view on Cuddles and Flaky in the distance. She gasped and felt her anger rising inside her. What were they doing out there… against the pretty sunset… away from their friends… alone letting the waves inch closer to their feet… laughing…? _That's _my_ moment with Cuddles out there_, Giggles growled in her thoughts, _not him and Flaky_!

Giggles grinded her teeth and snapped her stick she used for roasting marshmallows in half. Petunia spotted her friend's rage and turned to the direction Giggles was facing. Giggles looked totally jealous! Petunia grumbled sadly to herself and then picked at the campfire, letting more wood burn to keep the fire going. It sure looked pretty to look at. The colors looked so warm, it even warmed Petunia right up, and it wasn't just from the heat the flame gave off. The wood crackled and popped, the orange flames swallowing the scorching wood. Petunia sighed calmly, pleased with the serenity it was giving off and she pushed a piece of wood.

_Pop_!

A tiny hotspot on the wood popped and spewed some drops flames.

"Oops," gasped Petunia, but already not thinking too much of it.

_SWOOSH_! Suddenly she was set on fire!

Petunia screamed, startling the players in volleyball and Giggles. Petunia flailed her arms wildly, crying and screaming in agonizing pain. Giggles got up from her seat and panicked, trying to come up with something to help her friend! Someone just do something! Handy suddenly approached Petunia and literally rammed her into the sand. Petunia was still screaming but now she was rolling all over the sand, realizing her only hope was to smother the flames. The fire was still not going out. Handy darted his head at different directions, panicked and contemplating for his next move. Then when Petunia rolled to his direction, he leapt and began jumping on her scorching body! When it still wasn't working, he cried for the others to jump in too and put the fire out! So they did. All the volleyball players frantically jumped and began stomping and jumping on Petunia, trying to save her. Giggles looked on with her paws over her mouth, watching the sand fly and the flames shrinking. She could also swear Petunia's body was also sinking into the sand! Cuddles and Flaky rushed over when the group stopped bouncing.

The boys stepped back as Giggles crouched over Petunia. Giggles was lost for words by the whole ordeal, poor Petunia! After a moment of motionlessness, Petunia twitched and coughed light coughs. Giggles gasped and half choked on her question, "Are you okay?"

Petunia croaked weakly, but eventually she lifted her arm and gave a thumb up. The Happy Tree Friends sighed breaths of relief.

It wasn't long until an ambulance was called and carried Petunia away to the E.R. Her friends waited out in the hallway for the doctor to come out with his report on Petunia's condition. Cuddles and Handy reclined against the white wall with Handy's sorrowful attention to the floor. Toothy, Sniffles, and Chewy decided to go to a candy machine and grab snacks for them. Giggles turned to Flaky sitting beside her, also looking worried and sad for their friend. Giggles meant to tell her something, but decided that now was not the best time. She was definitely bothered by her and Cuddles staring out at the sunset like that. She really wanted to know if there was something going on between Flaky and Cuddles.

Finally when Toothy, Sniffles, and Chewy returned, the doctor exited Petunia's door and met them down the hall.

"Herro!" he cheerfully greeted. "I'm Dr. Lumpy and um…. Uh… uh huh! Your friend's going to be okie-dokey!"

The friends smiled and Toothy and Sniffles high-fived in celebration. However, Dr. Lumpy continued to explain that Petunia may have to stay in the hospital for a while, mostly due to concussion she suffered earlier from the… stomping.

"As long as she's okay!" smiled Handy.

Dr. Lumpy nodded his head and walked down the hall and left them. Soon the Mole left Petunia's room and opened the door wide to her friends come see her. When the group entered and gathered around Petunia, they just a little bit queasy with Petunia's bandaged body. She was literally wrapped up in rolls of bandages; they couldn't even see her face! Handy was the first to approach her.

"Are you awake?" he asked.

Petunia mumbled, making the others gasp. She was awake! Handy wiped the sweat away from his forehead and smiled.

"Whew!" he sighed. "That was a close one… but I saved your life."

The only answer he got, however, was mumbling. He leaned with his ear closer to where Petunia's mouth is supposed to be but he still couldn't understand her- no one could. Poor girl.

While the group talked, eventually they began to ask the new guy more about his background, where he came from, and practically any other question to get to know him better. Chewy didn't mind at all answering their questions, he was flattered by their interest and kindness.

"Hey, we should totally throw you a house-warming party," suggested Giggles. "That'll be a fun way for you to get to know the folks around here."

Chewy chuckled nervously, "Actually, I'm not so good with parties… besides, I ten to be more of a nuisance to the guests, I, uh…. Still feel like a stranger here."

"Oh c'mon, how can you say that?" pouted Giggles. "Besides, that's what a house-warming party is for. To break the ice with your new neighbors."

"I guess," Chewy shrugged. "But I'm not comfortable with having a party yet... maybe later when I'm a little more settled in. My place is still kind of a wreck."

Giggles meant to object, but cuddles eventually stepped in, "C'mon, don't pressure the guy. If he's not up to a party, then I think we should respect that. He's not asking for much."

Giggles blushed a little and then kept quiet from his response. She didn't frown, but she didn't smile either. She seemed neutral all of a sudden, but no one noticed or even asked about it. Giggles simply sighed and crossed her arms, letting go of the topic.

Soon Sniffles' light bulb flicked on, "Why don't we go to the amusement park?"

Chewy's face lit up, "That sounds like fun!"

"I that idea too," agreed Toothy.

Soon everyone else agreed, that sounded like a wonderful idea, even Petunia began mumbling excitedly and bouncing in her bed. Handy laughed as he stood by her proudly. So it was settled; in a week when Petunia was able to leave, they can all go the amusement park. Awesome!

Soon, the group split. Each returned back home except Handy- he stayed behind with Petunia for a little while longer. Giggles began walking down the street but stopped to look back at Flaky and Cuddles, bidding each other goodbye. It was brief and casual, Giggles had to admit. Then she whirled back ahead to the street when she heard footsteps behind her and realized it was Cuddles heading her way. She blushed a little, hoping Cuddles didn't catch her staring. He caught up to her and simply grinned.

"Mind if I walked with you?" he asked.

"Oh, no," she smiled half nervously. "You're fine."

She nodded and kept her eyes away from him, wishing she would stop blushing already! It didn't seem Cuddles caught her because he never mentioned about it. Still… Giggles couldn't shake off her bothered feelings from earlier.


End file.
